Give me your baby/toddler airplane horror stories

[KalamityJane]

I strongly recommend the car seat too. I have 3 kids and do air travel frequently. Not only is it much safer and strongly recommended by the FAA (they have to strap down the peanuts and the coffee pot, but lap children don't need to be?) but it's also so much of a sanity saver for parents. Kids are familiar with their seats and even my horrible sleepers sleep on planes. There's something about the white noise that just takes it out of them and zonk.

 

[KalamityJane]

Oh, and depending on your car seat, keeping it rearfacing on the plane has 2 awesome reasons. 1. they can only kick their own seat. 2. if they drop toys, it's in their lap or yours.

 

[KJMAX1]

The only tip I can add, is put a change of clothes or two in the backpack for your little one, and put in a pair of shorts and shirt for you. There have been times where we were grounded on the tarmac, stuck in an airport, child spilled, got nauseous, etc and we needed an extra shirt or pairs of shorts. Hopefully youll sit by some nice kind people who might have a child too. It makes a flight a lot easier with other little ones for your child to watch or interact with.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Oh, and depending on your car seat, keeping it rearfacing on the plane has 2 awesome reasons. 1. they can only kick their own seat. 2. if they drop toys, it's in their lap or yours.

Keeping it rear facing on the plane has one not so awesome result; the person in the seat in front cannot recline at all.

 

[keishashadow]

On Sunday, we take our not-very-good-at-sitting-still toddler on a 3 hour plane ride to MCO. I'm preparing for a couple tantrums, and I'd like to be able to tell myself "it could be worse".

So, what's the worst small human meltdown you've seen on a plane?

Edit: I meant to post this in the family section, but this is a strangely fitting mistake

Not sure when your flight is but have you considered flying when your child is due for a nap (or try to keep her awake a bit longer etc ?)

Especially for safety's sake imo it's up the parents to control their children on the plane as to sitting in their seats and hopefully not kicking the heck out of the seat in front of them. I feel for kid crying, never know if they are scared or ears hurting from the pressure. I have no patience for repeated seat kicking...no way the parent is unaware.

For even tots, brining an educational electronic game/downloaded favorite disney movie or cartoon, even a new disney-themed plush, the novelty of something new will usually distract a kid for a few hours.

 

[Jarmo]

This was meant to be more of a fun thread but I appreciate all the advice.

I was mostly being melodramatic and am not too worried, but we leave this weekend so our situation is what it is... 2 seats and a lap baby on the way down, and 3 seats with a carseat on the way home.

 

[jec6613]

My worst was about 8-ish years ago when due to weather I was in the back few rows of an MD-80. For those of you who have never flown on one, they're normally one of my favorites for a variety of reasons, but the back is pretty much terrible - two JT8D turbofans a few feet from you, and so loud that the noise cancelling headphones don't do almost anything. There was a single parent with four children under the age of five or so ... about 30 minutes in with them screaming, I offered some caramel apple suckers that I carry on flights ... they went through my whole stash but it quieted them down. The parent had never heard about the chewing gum/sucking on candy to help with the pressure changes, but oh boy was I thankful that day. Still a bad flight, but at least tolerable.

 

[Jarmo]

Since I started it, here's mine. More a story about circumstance than kids gone wild...

A few years ago I was in Taiwan on business. The first leg of the return flight was about 14 hours I think, and they overbooked business class. They were offering a $300 check and two coach seats to myself to downgrade, and I took it.

15 minutes after we start flying the flight attendant comes over and says someone has to move into my empty seat (the only empty seat) because their TV wasn't working. I try to explain that the empty seat was mine but it was a Taiwanese crew and English was a second language.

So, not much I can do without causing a scene on a plane. They move a woman into my empty seat. She has a very small baby. I did not get to sleep on that flight.

 

[Aurora0427]

I don't have any horror stories because I'm a chicken! We didn't fly with our daughter until she was 2- her first trip to Disney. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and snacks kept her busy on the two hour flight. Technically I flew with her once at 11 months, but it was only a 45 minute flight.

I'm in awe of everyone who has flown with infants on long flights!!!!

 

[KalamityJane]

Keeping it rear facing on the plane has one not so awesome result; the person in the seat in front cannot recline at all.

I usually sit my husband in front of the rearfacing car seat. Also, there is no right to recline on the plane - some of the seats on the plane naturally don't recline.

 

[jec6613]

Also, there is no right to recline on the plane - some of the seats on the plane naturally don't recline.

Actually, if the seats have recline enabled, it's against FAA regulations to prevent them from doing so with any device. Shockingly enough, the recline mechanism is part of the safety features of the seat in the event of a crash.

(Things you learn from FA's )

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I usually sit my husband in front of the rearfacing car seat. Also, there is no right to recline on the plane - some of the seats on the plane naturally don't recline.

Of course you have a right to recline on a plane! I am aware that some seats do not recline; what does that have to do with anything?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Since I started it, here's mine. More a story about circumstance than kids gone wild...

A few years ago I was in Taiwan on business. The first leg of the return flight was about 14 hours I think, and they overbooked business class. They were offering a $300 check and two coach seats to myself to downgrade, and I took it.

15 minutes after we start flying the flight attendant comes over and says someone has to move into my empty seat (the only empty seat) because their TV wasn't working. I try to explain that the empty seat was mine but it was a Taiwanese crew and English was a second language.

So, not much I can do without causing a scene on a plane. They move a woman into my empty seat. She has a very small baby. I did not get to sleep on that flight.

I would have been really, really upset. Then again, I would never have accepted only $300 to give up a business seat for two coach seats on a 14 hour flight.

 

[Jarmo]

I would have been really, really upset. Then again, I would never have accepted only $300 to give up a business seat for two coach seats on a 14 hour flight.

I got 50000 miles out of it after calling the airline when I got home, which was worth 4 free flights so it worked out in the end.

Also, I was on business so I didn't pay for the plane tickets. In that case, $300 and a double-wide seat seemed ok. I would have never done it had I paid for a business class ticket.

 

[KalamityJane]

if the seats have recline enabled, it's against FAA regulations to prevent them from doing so with any device. Shockingly enough, the recline mechanism is part of the safety features of the seat in the event of a crash.

If it was part of the safety feature they would require that the seat be in the recline position. Instead they make you return it to it's "full upright and locked position" for take off and landing, the two times you're most likely to crash.

 

[KalamityJane]

Of course you have a right to recline on a plane! I am aware that some seats do not recline; what does that have to do with anything?

No, it's not stated that you have the "right" to recline. There is a recline function to some seats, but that doesn't mean you are assured being able to use it.

 

[jec6613]

If it was part of the safety feature they would require that the seat be in the recline position. Instead they make you return it to it's "full upright and locked position" for take off and landing, the two times you're most likely to crash.

No, it's not stated that you have the "right" to recline. There is a recline function to some seats, but that doesn't mean you are assured being able to use it.

You must return it to the upright position both because it aids in evacuation if an incident occurs on the runway, and because the mechanism is, in most seats, designed to break and absorb a portion of the impact in a hard collision, rather than sending it into the person.

By FAA regulation, if the seat is certified with a recline mechanism by the FAA, that mechanism must be operational and cannot be obstructed by any device or object in order for the seat to be flyable, regardless of it being a design safety feature or not (aside: every seat on an airliner is different from every other and must be both type certified and individually certified). If it is obstructed or tampered with, the seat must be taken out of service until such time as the situation is rectified. It does not matter if the seat would still pass certification with a disabled recline, it passed certification with it and so it must be functional.

So, yes, according to the FAA you have a "Right to recline," as you put it, so long as your seat has the designed ability to do so.

 

[Maxpowers]

I took my 3 year old and my 13 month old there in February from NYC. Both of them had already been on several plane rides and were quite good at it. My best suggestions, which my wife brought tot he table, is to buy yourself a pill box (you know the kind that have S M T W T F S compartments) and fill it with different snacks and make a game of it. We had little fruit leathers, puffs, cereal etc...and even a couple of duds to make it fun. It will only last about 20 mins or so, but if you time if correctly you can use it to avoid the meltdowns.

We also get them some other little things to open up, nothing big just a few dollar store items that they haven't seen before.

finally, ipads/kindles/tablets with movies...judge me if you want to, but I was just out to Portland this last weekend (6 hour flight) and back on a red eye with my kids (now 4 year and 19 month old) and we had only 1 or 2 little scream fits (roughly 4 secs) and that was it.

 

[jec6613]

finally, ipads/kindles/tablets with movies...judge me if you want to, but I was just out to Portland this last weekend (6 hour flight) and back on a red eye with my kids (now 4 year and 19 month old) and we had only 1 or 2 little scream fits (roughly 4 secs) and that was it.

On long flights, adults have a hard enough time, I see no problem with this.

 

[tjmw2727]

I took my 3 year old and my 13 month old there in February from NYC. Both of them had already been on several plane rides and were quite good at it. My best suggestions, which my wife brought tot he table, is to buy yourself a pill box (you know the kind that have S M T W T F S compartments) and fill it with different snacks and make a game of it. We had little fruit leathers, puffs, cereal etc...and even a couple of duds to make it fun. It will only last about 20 mins or so, but if you time if correctly you can use it to avoid the meltdowns.

We also get them some other little things to open up, nothing big just a few dollar store items that they haven't seen before.

finally, ipads/kindles/tablets with movies...judge me if you want to, but I was just out to Portland this last weekend (6 hour flight) and back on a red eye with my kids (now 4 year and 19 month old) and we had only 1 or 2 little scream fits (roughly 4 secs) and that was it.

LOVE the pill box for snacks idea - my kids are older now but would have loved that, something like a bento box could be fun as well. I know my kids had their first lollypops on a flight.

As for the ipad kindle and movies on the airplane I am all for it .... but please be prepared to use headphones!

They do make them for smaller children, some even have favorite kids characters and most airlines require them. Our last trip had three kids in the row beside us with three different electronic devices at top volume and the FA did intervene on behalf of the folks in front of the kids. I imagine it was pretty loud for them as we could hear lots of noise ourselves. The parents were in the row behind them and luckily they all did have headphone/ear buds available to use.